Description: Subshrubs, usually salt-tolerant, often pubescent.
Leaves small, generally crowded on short lateral branches, hairy, often greyish owing to salt encrusted on surface.
Flowers each subtended by a pair of bracts and decussate pair of bracteoles; bracts and bracteoles usually similar and pairs often united by a stipular sheath. Calyx usually 5-ribbed and 5-lobed, ciliate, persistent. Petals 4–6, pink or white. Stamens 4–8, outer whorl shorter than the inner whorl, filaments often fused at base. Ovary of 3 carpels, placentation parietal or basal.
Distribution and occurrence: World: 80 species, temperate & subtropical regions. Australia: c. 50 species, all mainland States.
Note: specimens are difficult to determine as many species are superficially similar. The entire genus needs revision.
Text by C. Miller Taxon concept:
| Key to the species | |
1 | Placentation parietal but placentas sometimes almost basal; ovules 3–many, 1 or more per placenta, funicle not or scarcely longer than ovule, erect to sometimes recurved | 2 |
| Placentation basal; ovules usually 3 (same number as style branches), rarely 4 or 5 (divided funicle with 2 ovules), funicle longer than ovule, erect at base then recurved | 5 |
| Leaves petiolate, the petiole often winged and ciliate; stigmas linear to club-shaped Back to 1 | 3 |
3 | Bracteolar sheath cupped, clasping calyx and often partly fused to it | Frankenia cupularis |
| Bracteolar sheath small, if cupped then not fused to the calyx Back to 2 | 4 |
4 | Ovules 1 per placenta, attached in upper half of ovary; stems densely hairy with thick white recurved hairs | Frankenia crispa |
| Ovules more than 1 per placenta; stems minutely pubescent Back to 3 | Frankenia annua |
5 | Upper leaf surface more or less glabrous | 6 |
| Upper leaf surface densely pubescent, sometimes glabrescent with age Back to 1 | 7 |
6 | Stigmas linear to filiform; hairs of indumentum very short | Frankenia gracilis |
| Stigmas linear to club-shaped, capitate; hairs of indumentum long, pilose becoming scabrous Back to 5 | Frankenia uncinata |
7 | Hairs on leaves, stems and calyx ribs bristly, to 1 mm long; bracts and bracteoles often smaller and hairier than leaves; funicles long, recurved; stigmas capitate to club-shaped | Frankenia serpyllifolia |
| Hairs on leaves less than 0.5 mm long; bracts and bracteoles the same as leaves; funicles long, reflexed; stigmas linear Back to 5 | 8 |
8 | Calyces 6–10 mm long; stigmas 0.7–2 mm long | 9 |
| Calyces 3–7 mm long; stigmas 0.3–1 mm long Back to 7 | Frankenia serpyllifolia |
9 | All leaves linear to more or less oblong, margins strongly recurved with only midrib exposed below; calyx ribs minutely pubescent | Frankenia connata |
| Lower leaves ovate or elliptic to oblong, margins slightly recurved or flat; calyx with spreading hairs 0.5–1 mm long Back to 8 | Frankenia latior |
52 | Leaves more or less sessile; stigmas club-shaped | Frankenia foliosa |
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